Everett Thompson Sr., Lydia Thompson, Everett Thompson Jr. and Andrew Thompson

Forty-year-old Everett Thompson Sr., his wife, Lydia and and their sons: 11-year-old Everett Jr. and 8-year-old Andrew were last seen on July 5, 1996 in Chicago, Illinois.

Background
Everett was the owner of the E.A.T. and Company Restaurant located in the Park Manor neighborhood of Chicago.

In February of 1996, Lydia's brother, Kenneth White moved into the Thompson house after he was released from prison for rape. The Thompsons were not happy about Kenneth's presence in the house and Everett's side of the family referred to him as a "freeloading houseguest".

On July 3, 1996, Lydia called 911 to report that Kenneth was threatening her with an ax. When the police arrived at the scene, the dispute had ended and no arrests were made.

Disappearance/Investigation
On July 5, 1996, Everett's father called him at work. In the middle of their phone conversation, Lydia called Everett Sr., begging him to come home right away because Kenneth had chased her around the house with an ax and she had locked herself in the bedroom.

Everett told his father what happened, ended the phone conversation and left the restaurant. Two hours later, Kenneth arrived at the restaurant, driving Everett's van. He told the manager that Everett was arrested after a car accident and then he left. The manager noticed red smears on Kenneth's white sneakers.

On July 17, 1996, Everett's parents asked the police to check on the Thompsons after they were unable to get in touch with them. Kenneth told the police that the Thompsons had taken an impromptu vacation to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The police initially believed Kenneth's story and left without investigating further. Over the next few weeks, Kenneth told people different versions about the Thompsons' whereabouts. 

In late July of 1996, Everett's parents tried to investigate the Thompsons' disappearance by themselves and asked the police to investigate further.

The restaurant owner told the police about Kenneth's statement of Everett getting arrested for a car accident, but there was no record of that ever happening. 

The police also discovered that Kenneth had forged Lydia and his other sister's signatures on documents to sell the Thompsons' home. An inspector discovered that one toilet and one bathtub in the house had been recently painted red, and the kitchen floor was torn out. The police examined the house and discovered no problems with it. 

In November of 1997, Kenneth was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. He was released, but later arrested for bank fraud for allegedly forging Lydia's signature on a check made for over $13,000.

On December 25, 1997, Kenneth committed suicide by hanging himself in jail. Although authorities suspect that Kenneth may have murdered the Thompsons, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge him.